The Cost of Virtual Education to People With Vision Loss

According to survey results released last year by an organization called Swabhiman, about 43 percent of students with disabilities are planning to drop out of schools because of impediments caused by online education. '

However, one of India's leading lawyers on disability rights and a specialist in accessibility, universal design and diversity inclusion, says there is much to feel hopeful about what has transpired over the last year. When all schools adopted online learning, children supported by the National Association for the Blind were already up to speed with screen-reading software on their computer systems; many were already familiar with learning on mobile phones.

"In this case, non-disabled students had problems adapting to the online mode, but blind children were far ahead of their non-disabled counterparts, subject to availability of devices, of course. They really benefited from this entire experience. During this period, many students who are blind or have vision impairment passed their 12th grade successfully and also got enrolled into international courses. Some of them have even gone on to study in Oxford," says Subhash Chandra Vashishth.

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"How online education worked in favor of people with disabilities"